


Osprey - Ch. 14 Prologue - "The Call of the Void"

by bookofsecrets



Series: Osprey Side Stories [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Carver Hawke cameo, F/M, Gang Rape, Loss of Virginity, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Older Man/Younger Woman, Oral Sex, Power Imbalance, Rape, Rough Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 06:49:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18330794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookofsecrets/pseuds/bookofsecrets
Summary: Companion piece to Osprey. An ostensible prologue to Chapter 14.When Ella is accused of participating in Ser Alrik's murder, Knight-Commander Meredith offers her the rare mercy of a choice: become Tranquil and live, or accept execution. If you think this choice should be easy, then you haven't been a mage in the Gallows...





	Osprey - Ch. 14 Prologue - "The Call of the Void"

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who may have wondered what could have persuaded Ella that death is preferable to life in the Gallows as a Tranquil

“I’m sorry this is happening.” The templar says with a sympathetic frown. “For what that’s worth.”

I’m surprised, but maybe I shouldn’t be. This man put himself between me and the big scary templar to defend me. I’ve been an apprentice long enough to know not to expect kindness from templars. This man isn’t like the others, yet. I wish I knew him sooner.

I swallow against the lump in my throat. “I don’t want to be made Tranquil.” My voice quavers with fear. I don’t know how I’m standing when I feel like swooning to the ground.

His mouth screws up. I meekly drop my gaze from his handsome face, thinking he must be annoyed with what is likely just whining to him. “She’ll kill you if you don’t.” His tone isn’t a threat. Only a calm reminder.  _You will have a choice. Tranquility, or death._ After a minute of silence, his boot soles scrape at the cracked stone floor as he shifts his weight. “I can’t stay. The commander wants you in isolation until morning.”

I try to speak but the lump in my throat swells painfully. I nod instead.

“The Knight-Commander will want your answer then.” The rusty creak of the cell door sliding shut pierces me through the chest. I only realize I’m crying when the warm tears hit my cheeks. “Ella?”

His voice is like a gentle nudge under my chin and I look up. Our eyes meet through the bars. Despite the torchlight’s dank, flickering shadows dancing around him, I can see the blue of his eyes. His jaw firms before he speaks. “I know I should stay out of this, but… I think you should live.”

“W-Why?” I choke out.

I can’t imagine living without magic, and feelings, and joy. No one likes the Tranquil; everyone thinks they’re creepy. I’d lose my friend, all the family I've got left. Mother Bernadette says Tranquil are an affront to the Maker. If I become one, will I lose my place at the Maker’s side?

“We all have to die someday. I just think… why rush it?”

We gaze at each other until a voice echoes down the steep stairs at the end of the corridor. I can’t make out the words, but judging by the change in the man’s expression, I realize he must leave.

He clears his throat. “Sorry.” He casts a last, doleful look in my direction. “I’m not good with words.”

I don’t get a chance to say anything before he walks away. As his footsteps retreat down the corridor, I rush up to the bars and grip the cold, gritty iron in my hands. Pressing my cheek forward, I get a final glimpse of the templar before his shape vanishes into the dark. When he’s gone, exhaustion finally hits me. After marching across Lowtown during the night, I had to remain awake through hours of questioning and give my testimony to the templar commander.

As the adrenaline that has kept me alert wears off, I can barely keep my eyes open. Slumping away from the bars, I face my windowless cell. It’s completely bare. Not even a blanket. I crouch in a corner and draw my legs to my chest, hoping to keep warm. I shut my eyes.

The jangle of keys and piercing creak of the door opening wakes me. Still bone-weary, I don’t think I've slept more than a few hours. Someone takes the torch from the wall beside my cell door and thrusts it into the room. The light is blinding. I duck my head to spare my eyes the pain, keeping my knees close to my chest. My fingers and toes are bitten with cold. If I’m ordered to stand and walk, I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to.

“Hello there, girlie.”

The deep, masculine voice bathes my heart in ice. Maker protect me, I know that voice. I start shaking all over, despite how tightly I hug my legs.

“Cold, are you?” He sounds amused. His boots clack against the flagstones as he steps inside the cell. “I’ll get you feeling hot, soon enough.”

I press my face against my knees, refusing to look. Just after I’d been collected from my home, this man had pulled me close and whispered,  _I’ll personally see you’re made comfortable in your cell_. The way he said it was sinister, and...and something worse. I’ve heard the same tone from other templars talking to other mages. I stood by paralyzed when it happened to a friend, watched how the templar pressed his armor against her defenseless body to pin her to a bookshelf. The next day, she walked bowlegged and wouldn't speak to anyone, even to friends. She died two months later. The templars said she killed herself.

“Nevin, move your ass and let me in.” Another set of boots scrape the cell floor as they follow Nevin inside. This time, I can’t resist lifting my head enough to peek through my bangs. I see an older man with silver combed through his dark hair, each strand catching the light. His face is creased and coated in long stubble. Like Nevin, he wears plain clothes instead of armor.

He catches me looking. “What’s your name, girl?” I bury my face again, wishing for them to go away. The man makes a hissing sound of annoyance. “Bitch.”

Nevin snickers, sliding the torch into a loop of metal nailed into the wall. "Maybe old men ain't her type, Lea."

"Old?" Lea barks a laugh. "I've got more stamina than those bare ball recruits, and that counts more than a pretty boy face." Nevin's following laughter is a low rumble. 

I cautiously peek through my hair again, watching Lea take the door by its bars and with the sound of screeching metal close it. Locking us in. The cell is so small, Nevin only takes two strides to stand in front of me. I shiver harder as I’m bathed in his black shadow. He bends toward me, reaching out with one of his large hands. “Let’s have a look at what Amell was so keen to have for himself.”

Fingers band around my arm and yank me up. I yelp, more shocked than hurt, as he drags me to my feet. “No!” I cry out. My voice is small bleat of fear.

His other hand grips one breast through my robe. “Not much there,” he jeers, exposing his teeth in an open grin. The puckered scar running from his eye to the bottom of his cheek scrunches hideously. I turn my head and screw shut my eyes, not wanting to see his face or what he does to me. The templar grapples with each of my breasts, rubbing his thumb hard through the fabric, until-- “There they are, the pretties.” His thumb slows until gently swirling over a nipple, which he’s coaxed to tent through the layers of my robe. The stimulation makes me squirm uncomfortably.

“She virgin?” Lea asks curiously while slowly pulling the laces at the front of his jerkin.

Nevin takes back his hands. I suddenly realize they were the only thing holding me up as I slump against the wall, barely staying up on my shaking legs. I hold the front of my robe closed as my eyes dart between the two leering men. “You ever been fucked, girlie?” Nevin asks, watching me closely.

I stare at him, uncomprehending.

Nevin licks his lips at my reaction. “Amell didn’t put his prick in that pussy?” He thrusts his hand between my legs, pushing against my skirt.

I gasp, blood rushing to my face. I grab his wrist with both my hands to stop him but I'm too weak to shove him away. “S-Stop,” I plead.

“Answer me,” Nevin demands, pressing closer.

“He--He didn’t touch me,” I stammer, piecing together _Amell_ with the kind, handsome man who had protected me from Nevin earlier and brought me to my cell.

“Good. A used pussy feels like fucking a jar of cold jelly.” Lea has shrugged off his jerkin. He grabs his tunic and pulls it over his head, then uses his hands to smooth back his hair. He smirks as he watches me struggle. “Nothing better than a virgin. Once you break them in.”

Nevin pulls back his hand, letting go of my crumpled robe. I quickly tug my skirt down until I can feel the safety of it around my ankles. Tears sting my eyes. “Please don’t hurt me.”

The hulking templar brings his hand close to my face, then brushes his knuckles down my cheek. I flinch. “We didn’t come to hurt you.” His blunt fingers snag my face by the chin. He jerks my head up, causing the tears caught in the corner of my eyes to slide down my face. “Be a good girl and we’ll let you enjoy this.”

There’s a flash of teeth to his smile before he bends down to smash his mouth against mine. A strong musk invades my nostrils, then fills my mouth as his tongue pushes past my lips. His other arm wraps around my back, holding me in place. I struggle to breathe, dragging in gasps of air the moments his lips break from mine. His tongue delves so deep into my mouth that I almost choke.

Another pair of hands begins touching me, pulling up the back of my robe. I hear Lea’s breath near my ear, smell a trace of cologne. The dungeon’s cold air caresses my bare legs as they’re revealed inch by inch. I try to squirm away when Lea’s hands slip under my robe. “Too bad she’ll be Tranquil tomorrow,” Lea murmurs. “I’d like a few days with this one.” I feel his nose in my hair as he inhales. Then he cups his palms against my backside and squeezes.

My whole body clenches in response and I involuntarily bite down. Nevin jerks away from me with a roar. “Shit!” He runs a finger against the inside of his lower lip, coming away with a streak of blood. “Fuck, Gilbertson.”

Lea chuckles apologetically. “She’s a sensitive thing.”

I steer my body away from them, throwing my back up against a wall. “G-Go away!” I shout, panicked. “You can’t be here… I’ll scream!” Nevin and Lea share a look, grinning wolfishly. Then they reach for me. I dart beneath their hands and run for the bars, throwing myself against them. “HELP!” I shriek. For a second, I see a dark outline of someone standing in the shadows. “Help! Get help!”

A pair of strong hands yank me away from the bars and throw me back into the cell. I trip on the hem of my robe and spills across the floor. “No!” I scream, kicking when someones grab my ankles. “No!” I’m flipped onto my back, wrenched by strong hands. Nevin pins my legs while Lea kneels over me. Strings of hair have flopped onto his creased forehead, dangling in front of his eyes. With an excited grin, he opens the front of my robe. I grapple with his hands, swatting and shoving him away. His excitement sours into annoyance.

“What’s wrong, Lea?” Nevin snickers. Watching his friend struggle amuses him. Perhaps he feels smug, knowing he can effortlessly overpower me. Lea understands that I think because his cheeks flush. With an exasperated growl, Lea manages to get a grip on my wrist and pin down my arm by my head. With his other hand, he strikes me open-palm across the face. Pain flashes across my jaw.

“Dumbass!” Nevin barks at him. His voice is like a thunderclap. We both immediately go still. “Someone will notice if you leave marks on her face.”

Lea looks down at me with contempt. “Anything else goes?”

“Mm,” Nevin answers, suddenly preoccupied with my legs. The struggle hiked my skirt to my knees. Nevin runs a calloused palm over my exposed skin, raising goosebumps. His hand slips under the folds of my robe.

I whimper. “Don’t...Please, don’t…”

They both ignore me. Lea moves my arms above my head, then pushes the front of my robe further apart, until its spread on the floor. Then he runs a finger between my breasts, circling around them, then over my ribs, adding two fingers. Swallowing hard, I stare up at the ceiling. The men continue to fondle me, no longer talking to each other. They seem content with just feeling my skin and squeezing the softest parts of me.

“I want a better look at her,” Nevin finally speaks, his voice hoarse. He and Lea sit me up and finish undressing me as if I were a doll. I don’t fight them. I wouldn’t win.

They stand back, leaving me sitting naked on the floor. I cross my arms in front of my chest to cover what I can. I’m still shaking, from the cold air as much as fear. While Nevin removes his tunic, Lea rakes me with a hungry gaze. "Look at those tits. Barely any hair, too. She’s just a _girl_ ,” He says it with approval. His hand strokes a bulging shape in his pants. “Maker. How’d you get one so young?”

“Runaway.” Nevin’s voice is muffled as he pulls his shirt over his head, leaving his long strands of blond hair mussed. His broad chest is blanketed with dark hair.

“Meredith making them Tranquil for that now?” Lea shakes his head in amusement while he unbuckles his belt.

As the men undress, I pray as hard as I can to the Maker. _Deliver me from this, I beg you_ . _Anything I’ve done to offend you, I’ll atone._ By the time they kick their trousers and boots into a corner of the cell, the Maker has yet to intervene. I feel choked with unshed tears, failing to understand why He is punishing me like this.

Nevin approaches first. Even without a stack of armor or clothes, he’s just as imposing in bare flesh. Chiseled muscle carves out a statuesque body, though far bulkier than the beautiful male statues found around the Circle tower. He stops only a foot away from where I kneel on the ground. A spear of soft-looking flesh droops between his thick thighs, cushioned in a nest of black, curly hair. He smoothes the pad of his thumb down the shaft, stroking it almost thoughtfully.

Trembling fear and apprehension, I raise my eyes to him, too scared to put my question into words. “Don’t know what to do with it?” He broaches. He doesn’t look disappointed. Actually, he seems...pleased. Meekly, I nod. A few feet away, Lea releases an obscenity under his breath.

“Open your mouth,” Nevin tells me. I drop my eyes back to his spear, biting my lower lip. I don’t want that in my mouth. My reluctance prompts him to grab my hair and yank me toward him. My hand instinctively goes to his hand in my hair as pain floods my scalp like fire. He grinds his crotch into my face, which is firmer than it seemed moments ago. “Open your mouth,” he repeats, growling the words this time. “I’m teaching you.”

I open. He props up his spear before shoving it into my mouth. There isn’t a chance to get my bearings before he begins pushing his hips forward, then back, and forging ahead again. _Don’t fight_ , I tell myself. If I don’t make the templars angry, they won’t hurt me. Above me, Nevin groans. His flesh fills my mouth, wider and harder than I believe was possible. I have to grab his thighs to brace myself against the pendulum of his hips. “No teeth!” Nevin yips suddenly. I try to hold my mouth even wider, though my jaw has begun to ache.

“Fuck, you’re greedy,” Lea complains loudly. From the corner of my eye, I see him still watching us. His one hand moves vigorously up and down his own spear. “I hope you didn’t ask me to come to this forsaken pit just to watch.”

Nevin’s grip in my hair slackens. The pain in my scalp quickly dissolves, leaving behind a throbbing heat. “You’re impatient. We’ve barely started.” But he relents to his friend, pulling out of my mouth. I sit back and take the first deep breath I’ve had in a while, grateful to be able to close my mouth.

As Nevin steps back, Lea takes his place. “Back on your knees, girl.”

While Lea is taking pleasure with my mouth, Nevin kneels behind me. I can sense the heat of his body close to my own bare skin before he even touches me. Never using more than the brush of fingertips, he begins caressing me. Teasing goosebumps onto my skin. His thumbs stroke the sides of my breasts, repeatedly tracing their shape. Without even touching my nipples, they pebble and tighten in response. Confusion clouds my mind as Nevin’s hands stir something deep in my belly. As much as I want for Lea to stop, a part of me hopes Nevin won’t. But--No--that’s wrong. All of this is wrong.

Lea’s grunts get louder, harsher. His thrusts grow chaotic. My fingernails dig into his hips as I struggle to not gag on him. Lea doesn’t even notice. “Fuck--I’m gonna--Faramore--You mind?”

When Nevin speaks, his hot breath is on the back of my neck. “Go ahead.” I can’t help a shiver.

With a crooked grin, Lea curls his hand over the back of my head. “Hear that? You’re gonna get your first taste.” He winds my hair around his fingers, not slowing. “Taste a real man.” Suddenly, he stiffens in my mouth, his flesh even harder than before. A warm fluid jets across the back of my tongue and down my throat. The intense flavor of salt makes me gag. I struggle to pull away. With a breathy laugh, Lea holds me in place with his hand. “Get used to it, slut.”

When Lea pulls away, I sputter and cough into my hand. But I’m not given a chance to rest. Nevin lays a hand on the back of my neck. “Down,” he says, guiding my head toward the ground until my forehead rests against the grainy stone.

I take deep breathes, trying not to panic now that I can’t see either man. The taste of Lea stays in my mouth, like its a part of me now. I whimper, not knowing what might come next. Without any warning, a pair of hands grab my hips, making me yelp. The chuckle of Nevin’s deep voice is behind me. I feel his hot breath stirring the fine hair on my mound. _What--what is he going to do to me? Will he bite me there?_ I shut my eyes to brace for the pain, whimpering in fear.

A wide, wet swathe of tongue strokes me there instead. With a sharp gasp, my eyes fly open. “Oh!”

Nevin’s hands harden their grip as I try to squirm away from the intense sensation. He plies his tongue again, undulating it against the folds of my sex, coaxing them into parting. I’ve never felt anything like it. I wouldn’t have thought it was even possible, especially from the scary man behind me. He’s gentle but insistent. The warmth of his mouth spreads through my body, heating me up. The stone floor doesn’t have the chill it once did.

Lea laughs nearby. “Fuck her already.”

Nevin draws back. I fail to suppress a shiver as his saliva instantly cools on my body. “I ain’t gonna chafe my cock on a dry pussy.”

Cock. That must be the spear between their legs. And mine is the… My face stays pressed to the floor as I swallow thickly. My heart pounds harder when I comprehend what’s being discussed. Another memory of my friend flashes through my mind; her painful gait after the templar claimed her. She walked like the floors were made of broken glass. I press my lips together in a whine.

“They wetten up on their own,” Lea says. Nevin glares. Lea rolls his eyes, seeming humored. “Understood. She’s yours. Do as you like.”

His?

“I will,” Nevin says, a possessive edge to his voice. He takes his hands from my hips. A moment later, he grasps the back of my thighs and spreads my legs further apart. Only then do I realize I had unconsciously pressed them together.

“Nooo,” I moan, terrified he’ll put his cock inside. He barely fit in my mouth. He couldn’t fit down there.

“Keep your legs spread,” Nevin instructs me, then takes away his hands. I feel his breath puff against my skin as his face looms close. Despite my fear, there’s a flicker of anticipation in my belly. Will he kiss me there again? As if in answer, his lips skim over my sex. I shudder in response. The tip of his tongue runs up and down the seam of my folds, probing them until they’ve parted.

The pad of his thumb pushes past the slick folds and I feel the start of burning pain. “Aah!” With a shout, I drop onto my belly to escape it. Alarm bells ring through my body, terrifying me. Rather than get angry, Nevin laughs at me. “W-Why are you doing this to me?” I whimper.

Nevin rolls me onto my back. When I try to hide my breasts behind my hands, he just brushes them aside. With a yank on my legs, he pulls me closer. The air between us darkens as he leans close to my face. “Because the Maker wills it,” he says, propping my legs on either side of him. He runs his free hands up my ribs and over my breasts. “He gave you to me.” He closes a meaty hand around one of my breasts, bending down to comb the dark nipple with his teeth. I try not to move, afraid of provoking him.

“Mages were created to serve man,” Lea says with a twisted smile. “Can’t think of a better way for your pretty pussy to serve me.”

My eyes burn. “No…”

Nevin sucks my nipple into his mouth. It’s hot there. A spike of heat enters my chest. I loll my head, trying to refuse these sensations. Grief piles over me, making it hard to breathe. Is this the Maker’s punishment for being born a mage? The answer is undeniable and all around me. Nevin cups the bottom half of my face and forces me to look at him. The moment our eyes lock, he spits into my face. “Open your mouth.”

I do. He spits again, inside. “You don't need to understand. Just accept it. You’re mine now." He uses his thumb to push my mouth closed.  "Swallow.” Fighting against a sob, I close my mouth and swallow. Nevin pulls back, then slides his hands under my knees. He brings them together, pushing forward until they’re near my face. This lifts my backside into the air. Nevin only needs to lower his head to reach my exposed sex, and I feel his nose and chin against my flesh before the pliant muscle of his tongue enters me. Only when I’m breathless does he pull away.

“Ready?” Lea asks eagerly. His spear is back in his hand.

“Nearly. Hold her down.”

“No!” I cry, my gaze following Lea as he moves away from the wall. He squats above my head, then grabs my arms. After positioning them on each side of my head, he kneels on them. The man's crushing weight causes pain to shoot through my arms.

He reaches over to take my proffered knees from Nevin, holding them aloft. Lea’s eyes flick down to my face, then shifts his knees, digging into the soft flesh. A cruel smile carves out his mouth when he wrings a sharp cry from me.

Below my waist, Nevin is rubbing the pad of his thumb against my core again. I can see him between my legs. As much as I don’t want to watch, I also don’t want to be ambushed again. With bated breath, I watch Nevin’s flush face furrow in concentration as he pushes a finger inside me. I clench my teeth against the flare of discomfort. To my surprise, he immediately slides his finger out. Only to slip it back inside just as fast. He does this, sliding his finger back and forth, long enough that the burn goes away.

Lea is watching as intently as I am. “You’re taking too long,” he mutters.

Nevin doesn’t answer if he ever heard. I feel a second finger line up with the first only a moment before they both go in. My flesh down there feels like a ring of fire, forcing me to clench my teeth to ride out the pain. I sense something else too; a barrier. It seems to bow under Nevin’s prodding fingers as he slowly rocks them inside me. “There it is,” he murmurs to himself. He twists his wrist, burrowing deeper, and I cry out.

Please, let it be over soon. Andraste, have pity on me and take away the pain. My head rocks side to side as I’m forced to endure the relentless probing. “Stop!” I beg him, lifting my head, hoping he’ll see me and take pity. “Stop! Please, ser! It hurts--It--” I shriek as his fingers breach me, tearing through the thin barrier. Lea’s fingers band tighter around my knees as I thrash through the pain. Then with a wet sniffle, I drop my head back.

As I softly cry, the burst of pain I felt recedes to a faint throbbing. Finally satisfied, Nevin sits back. There’s something dark on his fingers when he lifts his hand from me. Blood? My blood? Feeling dizzy, I close my eyes. There’s another wave of relief when Lea stands up from my sore arms. For a few moments, I’m left alone to catch my breath. Before I can, strong hands scoop me under the arms and haul me to my feet. My legs buckle beneath me, too weak to stand. A thick pair of arms pick me up as if I weigh nothing.

A few moments later the startling cold of the stone wall on my back opens my eyes. Nevin hungrily kisses me as I throw my arms around his neck. Afraid of falling, I cling tightly. Nevin’s hips and chest push me into the wall, effectively pinning me. I feel his spear against my belly, hard as wood. He begins grinding it against me. Instinctively, I know he’ll put it inside me. And I’m afraid. If his fingers hurt that much, this could kill me. I begin to cry.

Nevin pulls back, staring at me in a moment of disgust. “Don’t you fucking cry,” he warns me. His intimidating glare only makes me more frightened, but I bite down hard on my lower lip to stop myself. “I gave you better than you deserve,” he snarls. He adjusts me in his arms. Thick veins in his biceps and arms bulge against his skin as he takes the backs of my knees, leaving it to the strength in his chest and arms to prop me against the wall. I feel the spear slide away as he lowers his hips until he’s squatting slightly beneath me. I feel pressure at my entrance. My heart skips. My breath stutters. Nevin licks his lips.

He plunges upward, spearing me on his cock. The wet folds of my sex part around him, even seem to usher him in. “AHH!” A scream tears from me. There isn’t any quarter given now; I realize now what he meant. If he hadn’t prepared me for this as he had, I can’t imagine how awful this would be. I cling to him tighter in unspoken acknowledgment, burying my face in his neck as I slide on his thrusting cock with natural ease.

As if our bodies were always intended to be joined like this.

No! Mages aren’t slaves and I don’t belong to him! I don’t want this!

Fresh tears slide down my face, pooling into the hollow of the templar’s collarbone. Nevin’s fingers dig into my skin, forcing my legs further apart. As I open up to him, his thrusts grow forceful. It hurts. I cry into his shoulder, raking his back with my fingers as I endure it, but each slam of his hips into mine jabs the tip of his spear as far as it will go. I’m too small. He’s too big.

“Fuck, that’s tight. Fuck.” Nevin grunts mindlessly, his breath hot and wet on my skin. “Praise the Maker!” He groans, pausing and holding himself inside of me, as deep as he can manage. I sob, anguished. “Praise be. This pussy. Fuck, this pussy.”

Lea barks a laugh. “Experiencing a divine revelation, Faramore? Or you planning on ten thousand Hail Andrastes for that?” Nevin’s senses seem to come back to him. He laughs, a sound that starts deep in his chest. “At least spread the gospel to your sodding friend here,” Lea adds churlishly.

Keeping me close, Nevin turns around. I gasp in surprise when I feel Lea’s hand settle on my hip, then an added pressure at my entrance. “No!” I yelp, afraid of it. But I can’t refuse, or even struggle; I’m locked inside Nevin’s arms. “Please, don’t!” I plead, desperately looking over my shoulder at the templar.

Lea doesn’t look up. He chews his bottom lip in concentration as he wedges the tip of his spear inside me. “The one unfortunate thing about Tranquil is--” My toes curl as I’m stretched. “They don’t beg. They’re too obedient.” He rocks his hips, wedging himself deeper. Nevin grunts, his chest swelling against mine with deep breaths. “They see the sense in getting it over with.”

“Either talk or fuck, Gilbertson.”

I throw my head back, my breath cut off by the overwhelming sensation of their vying cocks inside me. Then I let my head drop, feeling any hope for mercy or reprieve leave me. The Maker doesn’t care what happens to me. He wouldn’t let this happen if He did. I let myself mourn that, crying silently; neither man notices, their only care for me the sheath my body provides them. They alternate their thrusts as a consideration to each other, the impact of their hips meeting my body sending tremors through me.

The cell fills with their ragged breathing, the slap of skin on skin. “Fuck!” Lea yells. His voice is small and tight. He stops moving, his hands squeezing my hips punishingly. Then he pulls out. His absence is a relief I don’t get to enjoy. Nevin tosses me against the nearest wall, the look in his eyes animalistic. The red, pulsing scar on his face making him even more terrifying. He begins to rut wildly, and I feel something wet between my legs, leaking from inside.

Suddenly panic-stricken, I’m certain I’ve been mortally wounded. I begin to fight back, raking Nevin’s chest with my fingernailsPinpricksks of blood well from the cuts. With a hiss of pain, he lets me slip in his arms. I get one foot on the ground before he grabs my other leg, holding it to his chest to keep me prisoner. I claw at the wall to stay upright while he continues to fuck, every thrust delivering a bolt of pain.

With a bellow, he buries his hips against me and holds there. The pain is a sword in my gut. After issuing a few grunts, he heaves a gratified sigh, then releases my leg. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he joins Lea under the torch. He's passed a wineskin and the two men seem to forget about me.

With a hoarse sob, I wilt toward the ground. I’m sopping between my thighs. I don’t smell blood, yet there’s a heady, primal musk tinting in the air. I ease my hand between my wet thighs and come away with a cloudy coating on my fingers.

The laughter of men draws my gaze across the cell. Lea walks over to the bars, holding out a thin ring jangling with keys. For a delirious moment, I consider killing him to escape. But I’m only an Apprentice, not powerful enough to kill two templars, or clever enough to sneak through the Gallows and get across the bay. If I even tried, the Templar commander would kill me once I was caught. I look away from the door, dejected and without hope.

Unbidden, the kind templar who had brought me here comes to my mind. Knowing what a terrible sin it is to think it, I wish Ser Amell could take the place of my tormentors. If I must go through this, it could be bearable if it were him. I close my eyes to picture his handsome face as a comfort, but the cell door opens with that terrible screech and I open my eyes. A young woman shuffles into the cell. In the layers of light and shadow, I make out her long brown hair, its ends curling over the chest of her simple robe.

Shakily I push myself to my feet. “Run!” I tell her. “Get out! Run for help!”

The woman, Lea, and Nevin stare at me. Then the men erupt into cruel laughter. Lea gathers some of the woman’s hair between his fingers. “Stupid girl,” he sneers at me. “Cyndal is mine.” He tugs the hair and the woman tilts her face toward him, accepting the kiss he presses to her mouth. The Brand on her forehead becomes visible in the light.

 

My hand flies to my mouth. I look up at Nevin as he looms closer, smiling coldly. “And you’ll be mine.”


End file.
